


In the Cards

by xXxAngelStormxXx



Category: Ever After High
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:15:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27067747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXxAngelStormxXx/pseuds/xXxAngelStormxXx
Summary: Lizzie introspection.Lizzie's thoughts on one Daring Charming, Apple White, destiny, and her own feelings sometime after Dragon Games.
Relationships: Daring Charming/Lizzie Hearts
Kudos: 14





	In the Cards

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, not really finished yet just wanted to finally upload something after so long of not doing so.
> 
> Completely written and typed on mobile, so I apologize for any written issues, it's much easier to follow my train of thought and fix mistakes when using a computer.

It was a new day at Ever After High, the bright sun was beginning to paint the sky and birds were starting to sing their early morning song. All around the castle, students began getting ready for their days in their dorm rooms. All except one. For she had risen much earlier in the morning. 

Quietly she had snuck out of her dorm room and through the castle halls before escaping outdoors to find some peace at the Wonderland Grove she so cherished. It was not home, but it was a home away from home of sorts. As much of Wonderland as she could get here at Ever After, besides visiting the Mad Hatter's Tea Shoppe and Haberdashery, of course.

The future Queen of Hearts had always been rather loud, trying to emulate her mother most of her life. Since being at Ever After High, she had attempted to reign herself in and became more quiet, pensive, watchful. But all of that never quite stopped her from shouting "Off with your head!" often throughout the day. That and of course her Riddlish language and mannerisms often went misunderstood by almost all her peers. She had never felt more outcast and alone than when she was surrounded by her fellow students. It was easier to let herself be dulled to at least sort of fit into Ever After High's established social mold than to try and break it and be herself. Lizzie quite liked company and was a very social girl growing up as the future Queen of Hearts. The strained company and tentatively created friendships were still far better than the crushing loneliness she far too often felt.

Today, Lizzie reflected on some of the real and precious social connections she had made and contemplated her future. She knew the time would soon come to return home, and as much as she longed for that day, she also felt nervous for reasons she wasn't sure she could quite let go of.

She never considered herself to be a boyfriend stealer, and yet that day she spent with Daring on their secret date had been a fairytale dream of a first date and before she knew it she was slinking around campus secretively and stealing hidden kisses and pretty words with a boy whose destiny had laid another girls claim on him. Not only had she built a reputation by simply being herself upon her first arrival at Ever After High, but she found she quite liked the idea of having some secret just for herself and not broadcasted by Blondie and her hoard of gossip followers as she knew would happen should people find out about their meetings. Apple was of course the person who Lizzie was most worried about, being that it was her destiny that had staked her claim to him. She had seen how poorly Apple had reacted to Raven wanting to be herself and be good, breaking the mold Apple and the rest of Ever After were so desperately trying to force her into. It was quite a puzzle to her. They hated the Evil Queen and were absolutely terrified of her, why would they not rejoice that her daughter was nothing like she was?

A whole lot of things had gone down recently surrounding the Dragon Games she herself had participated in. When Daring showed up on a white horse when Apple had been poisoned, Lizzie felt her heart swell and then shatter. Her instinctual reaction had been joy at seeing Daring there, her heart jumping at the idea that he was there for her, for Lizzie Hearts. There was an almost imperceptible layer of guilt as he lowered himself off the horse and approached, a secret apology to Lizzie unsaid in his eyes before he steadfastly chose to ignore her presence. It was crushing and cruel, watching Daring lean in to kiss Apple awake with everyone eagerly and quite happily watching. Lizzie didn't know how she could look him in the eyes or approach him after his whole life shattered right in front of her when his kiss did not wake Apple. He appeared so crushed, so devastated, that Lizzie wondered how much he wanted Apple and not her. He was expected to be Apple's Prince Charming, it was, after all, his destiny to be with Apple White, not Lizzie Hearts. Was she nothing more than a bit of fun in the meantime before he lived his Happily Ever After with Apple by his side?

Ever since the ever so carefully written script of destiny was laid out in the legacy day book of legends was essentially flipped and erased, Apple continued to be very upset at finding out Daring's kiss didn't wake her up. She wasn't yet willing to acknowledge the truth of her own feelings about everythibg else and who had woken her. There was also the matter that she was still struggling to let go of the idea that Daring was her happily ever after, after all this had been drilled into her for as long as she could remember. Lizzie avoided Daring, ducking away even when people brought him up in conversation around her. She didn't want to hear about how devastated he was or about how much he was clinging to the idea of Apple and his promised Happily Ever After. 

Lizzie tried not to feel so gleeful over it all when Daring's kiss had not worked, before she had seen his upset, but it had been so hard to push down her feelings. She herself had always been a free destiny when it came to romance and her eventual marriage. A King of Hearts was not written into a destiny, there was no one who would be thrust upon her. As Queen it was her own choice that would lead to a union. To her, this break in 'destiny' meant that she could feel no guilt over choosing Daring. She wasn't stealing something precious from somebody else's Happily Ever After. 

It had been a few days since it had all happened and Lizzie had yet to find a moment to herself with Daring, let alone in a crowd. Patt of her was glad for this, she wasn't sure she could handle him telling her that she truly meant nothing to him. Her heart constricted, many other girls had thrown themselves at him even before when he was still a claimed destiny. Now, that had only intensified. Surely, he could himself choose any girl he wanted, it hurt to think that perhaps she thought too much of their secret relationship. Maybe he didn't want her the way she wanted him. All the maybe's floated through her head, causing more turmoil and war inside her. She wrestled with the idea, should she even tell Daring how she felt about it all?


End file.
